February, 2018 | CFPro Ventures Ltd

Common habits that lead to business distress.

In the news this week, we heard of two UK giants who have admitted that it was time to change. For one, it may already be too late, and the other, well, we hope for the best. But it's the series of events which led to the demise of ToysRUs, and the challenging distress of Jamie's Italian which are more shocking than they are complicated - more simplistic than calculated - and ones that any business, regardless of stature, size, standing or longevity, could be exposed to. We look at 4 of the most common leadership habits that risk pushing [...]

Katy Roberts 2018-03-12T16:33:01+00:00 February 26th, 2018|News, RE:Focus|Comments Off

A lesson about business turnaround from Jamie’s Italian

The news for restaurant chain Jamie's Italian looked bleak this week. The famous chef's chain of restaurants throughout the UK have seen 12 of its 37 stores close since launch, with its Barbecoa steakhouse in Piccadilly falling into administration after only just a year of trading. Speaking at the Casual Dining Show in London, the Jamie's Italian CEO John Knight put the urgent need for a business turnaround strategy down to 2 things: Complacency and a Failure to Innovate. And they're not alone. In a previous blog post, we also featured the downfall of Toys giant Toys R Us and [...]

Katy Roberts 2018-03-12T16:33:12+00:00 February 26th, 2018|News, RE:Focus|Comments Off

An introduction to Corporate Governance

What is Corporate Governance? “The purpose of corporate governance is to facilitate effective, entrepreneurial and prudent management that can deliver the long-term success of the company.” - ICAEW When it comes to the system used to direct and control an organisation, there is no ‘one size fits all’ recipe. Governance models and structures are tailored individually to the organisation, based on a number of different factors that relate specifically to that business; businesses are dependent on the legal, regulatory and financial requirements within their specific environment. In most cases, there are 2 key teams responsible for effective corporate governance: the [...]

Katy Roberts 2018-02-21T13:09:49+00:00 February 21st, 2018|News|Comments Off

CFPro Ventures invited to Judge at New Civil Engineer’s Festival of Innovation and Technology

Hardy Giesler, co-founder of CFPro Ventures, has been invited to take part in the judging panel for the 2018 edition of New Civil Engineer’s Festival of Innovation and Technology. Running for its second year, TechFest attracts civil engineers who are technology and innovation-hungry and showcases the best innovations and technologies that drive our industries, and economies, forward to help civil engineers deliver better, outcome-focused solutions that have a direct impact on our society. This year's event takes place in London on Wednesday 19 September and combines a huge variety of ways to get involved, learn, discover and interact through Keynote talks [...]

Katy Roberts 2018-02-20T14:05:00+00:00 February 20th, 2018|News|Comments Off

Meet Vasil: Gaming industry consultant with operational know-how

Vasil's experience in the iGaming industry is one that most investors or business leaders interested in this industry would want to tap into. With over 15 years' experience, Vasil has been helping businesses, from startups in the Caribbean through to established businesses in London, and on to FTSE250 organisations, realise their potential within the gaming industry. As an experienced consultant, Vasil brings functional and strategic expertise that helps business leaders and investors understand the industry, identify clear growth strategies that yield results and industry insight that has developed from years of industry leadership. Vasil's main area of expertise lies in [...]

Katy Roberts 2018-03-13T10:08:19+00:00 February 20th, 2018|Partner Profiles|Comments Off

Meet Carl: Consultant and Interim driving profitable growth and business maturity

Carl has been instrumental in driving business growth for over 20 years. An accomplished business leader, his career has delivered consistent results within the FMCG, Logistics and privately-owned SME worlds. He has delivered profitable sales growth and operational efficiency with global companies such as Coca-Cola and Molson Coors. Carl's focus lies in interim leadership and business transformation with extensive experience in business governance, developing high performance teams, developing sustainable revenue, profit and growth and more. With a passion for product innovation and commercialisation, Carl brings experienced know-how to the CFPro Ventures partner network and understands what it takes to become [...]

Katy Roberts 2018-02-20T11:32:43+00:00 February 15th, 2018|Partner Profiles|Comments Off

Why your Organisation should be investing in Startups.

For a long time, corporates have been trying to show off how innovative they are. Whether they’re stimulating creativity through open plan offices, ping pong tables, an X-Box in the corner with oversized beanbags and multi-coloured jellybeans on tap, or whether they operate an open-door policy to all meetings, strategic planning sessions and even board discussions, one thing is certain – they are on a mission to discover the new – in whatever way they can. But the reality is that a lot of what they (and you) might be seeking, lies outside of your four walls; far beyond your [...]

Katy Roberts 2018-03-12T16:33:44+00:00 February 14th, 2018|Corporate Venturing, News|Comments Off

3 things holding entrepreneurs back from pursuing Corporate Venture partnerships

“While 95% of startups wish to develop long-term corporate partnerships, only 57% of them have done so.” – Boston Consulting Group Cisco’s John Chambers predicted, many years ago, that every company has, or will, become a tech company. Digital technologies have revamped almost every corporate function and activity. But where some companies simply change their process, other companies have dedicated their entire livelihood, and that of their teams, this. They delve deeply into finding the new, the better, the more efficient. They’re innovative – and they yearn to deliver change. They’re disrupting the marketplace and it’s because of this that [...]

Katy Roberts 2018-03-12T16:33:59+00:00 February 13th, 2018|Corporate Venturing, News, SME Growth|Comments Off

Help! I need somebody (to turn my business around)!

It’s transform, or wither, in today’s business environment, with multiple transformation triggers resulting in simultaneous pressures on you, your team and your bottom line. “We are living in interesting times, with multiple transformation triggers all present at the same time, all equally intense,” says Robert T. Vanderwerf, Transformation Strategy Leader, KPMG LLP, and he refers specifically to a tipping point in globalisation, a major slowdown in Western economies, significant shifts in technology and energy costs, and the challenges of regulatory compliance. “When four or five significant drivers are changing at the same time, the business environment becomes highly complex,” And [...]

Katy Roberts 2018-03-12T16:34:09+00:00 February 7th, 2018|News, RE:Focus|Comments Off